The little entrepreneur

Ed Murray/The Star-LedgerJoseph Hudicka of Flemington shows off “Puckz,” an iPhone and iPad app he created. The game is a fusion of hockey and checkers.Joseph Hudicka’s story is typical of most budding iPhone entrepreneurs. His idea for a software application for the phone — known as an app — is a fusion game of hockey and checkers. He successfully pitched it to investors, who shelled out thousands of dollars to an offshore software development firm. His research and development involved an army of testers and reviewers.

And his marketing efforts were tinged with his passion and enthusiasm for both hockey and technology.

But it all had to get done by 6:30 every evening. That is Joseph’s bedtime. He turned 8 years old in January.

“The most fun part was the night it came out,” said the Flemington second-grader, giggling mischievously. “I snuck out of bed and used my iPod Touch” device to check if the app had launched.

Joseph belongs to a generation that has never known a world without ubiquitous handheld and wireless technology. Experts say children like him are using such technology to control their own learning and, in turn, their own destiny. The process is pushing the boundaries of the educational status quo and could make kids everywhere smarter and more business savvy.

In Joseph’s case, his investors are “Mom and Dad.” His researchers? Fellow second-graders at a private Catholic school. And his marketing plan? Classroom show and tell.

“I firmly believe there can’t be a college on earth that can create those experiences to this level,” said Joseph’s father, Joseph Hudicka Sr., who together with his wife runs a company that makes database software for the federal government. “As entrepreneurs, we’re seeing our child experience what we’ve experienced in so many remarkable ways.”

A NEW TOOL

Educational futurists everywhere are touting the potential of handheld devices as a tool for interactive learning, rather than passive, static absorption.

The movement is gaining ground as firms like Qualcomm, a cell phone chip maker, push for more smartphone learning in the classroom. The U.S. Department of Education has also earmarked $5 billion in school-reform grants to launch pilot programs and evaluate the effectiveness of such technology.

“These kids are digital natives and they learn by doing,” said Andrew Shalit, the father of a toddler son and co-founder of Learning Touch, a Boston-based firm that makes apps that teach kids how to read, among others. “So, something with a touch interface — like an iPhone’s touchscreen — will help advance motor skills."

The devices are even inspiring kids like Joseph to do more than just soak up knowledge; they are creating ways to express their ideas across new platforms such as the iPhone and iPad.

“We’re moving from a world where producers and consumers are separated to a world where everyone sees that they can be a producer and consumer,” said, Shalit, a Bergen County native and former Apple employee.

STARTING EARLY

Joseph’s goal of going digital dates to when he was 5 years old, after he crafted a prototype of his game using Styrofoam board.

The interface resembles a checker board’s grid, although it is made to look like an ice rink and uses hockey pucks as game pieces. The idea was borne from his habit of making patterns with collectible hockey cards. The object of the game — named “Puckz” after the way Hudicka first spelled the word as a toddler — is simple: navigate past the opposing team to score goals on either end of the board.

“But I didn’t want to get bored with just a plain old board game,” said Joseph, a soft-spoken child with wire-rimmed glasses who was dressed in a soccer shirt.

He is eyeing a global market of soccer fans for his next app, called “Goalz,” which will launch in time for this summer’s World Cup.

“He is an exceptionally gifted child,” said Teri Craig, Joseph’s teacher, who urged his parents to take the game to the next level.

His parents, both iPhone users, wasted no time in contacting a firm in India that specializes in developing custom apps. Joseph gave detailed instructions and feedback to the developers, engaging with them daily via phone or web-based meetings. His parents declined to say how much the firm charged, though they said it was “under $10,000.”

Since Puckz launched in March for 99 cents, it has sold nearly 250 units in 14 countries. After splitting the revenue with Apple, Hudicka pocketed $168 — a token prize compared with the entrepreneurial lessons learned along the way, his parents said.

As for Joseph, he’s already in front of the next technology frontier.

“What’s next?” he said. “Making the app 3-D.”

Venuri Siriwardane may be reached at vsiriwardane@starledger.com or (973) 392-5994.